[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-nothing-is-taboo":3,"chapter-nothing-is-taboo-nothing-is-taboo-chapter-45":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Nothing Is Taboo",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2310430,4514,"Chapter 45: Food Money","nothing-is-taboo-chapter-45",45,"\u003Cp>The two stared at each other, both stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan slowly raised his hand: “You go first…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Wan opened the bundle: “I fixed it for you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the bundle was the three-eyed firelock, along with a leather pouch filled with gunpowder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan was overjoyed, taking it up and caressing it repeatedly, unwilling to let go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His stepmother snorted: “What’s so great about this thing? It needs reloading before each shot, and after three rounds it’s basically useless. In a magical duel, there’s no time to reload. How can it compare to our traditional craftsmen?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even within the Seven Sects, factions abound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The most chaotic is the “Spellcrafters,” truly a motley assortment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Spellcrafters are the most numerous; if they could unite, they’d be the strongest force among the Seven Sects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But anyone who dares suggest unifying them will face infighting so fierce they’ll tear each other’s brains out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Craftsmen, by contrast, are the most visibly divided faction—new and old craftsmen each believe the other has gone down a “heretical” path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old craftsmen once held absolute dominance, but as the Imperial Ming court increasingly interacted with the Snow-Crushing Ghosts, Red-Haired Barbarians, and Blue-Eyed Foreigners, exotic techniques from beyond the borders flooded in. The new craftsmen absorbed these methods, growing stronger by the day, until they could now stand toe-to-toe with the old craftsmen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three-eyed firelock is a new craftsman’s invention—his stepmother looked down on it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan tucked away the firelock: “External tools are for use. As for understanding the Dao of craftsmanship, they’re nowhere near your level.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course,” Lin Wanmo preened at the small compliment, then pointed to another bundle on the table: “What’s this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan said: “The silver I earned on this trip—I’m giving part of it home…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Wan smiled, her gaze drifting lazily: “Oh? So you’ve got such ‘filial piety’?” But her slender finger tapped the bag: “With this thought in mind, your mother is satisfied—the money isn’t needed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I earned it, so I ought to…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Wan waved her small white hand: “Enough. I’m not dead yet—I can still support you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan grinned mischievously: “You really won’t take it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aren’t you even going to see how much I made?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Qiao Ziaolang is so stingy—he couldn’t have given you much.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan opened the bundle. Lin Wan’s words were cut clean in half.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Golden little ingots!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like the delicate, rosy toes of a young maiden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silver large ingots!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like the full, rounded rump of a woman after childbirth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crisp, brand-new silver notes!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like the bright red veil of a bride just carried through the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan tapped the table: “Wipe your drool.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Wan shot him a scolding glance, then secretly touched her lip—damn, she’d actually drooled. How embarrassing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She smiled brightly, beautifully, and slid the bundle into her lap without a word: “Your mother doesn’t want your money—I’m just saving it for you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re not young anymore—you need to find a bride. Matchmaking, dowry payments—all cost money. When you marry and establish your household, when Xu family spreads its branches, I’ll have face to meet your father in the netherworld.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stop it!” Xu Yuan cried: “Netherworld? You make it sound real. How much older are you than me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Still, I must get you a wife,” his stepmother insisted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I won’t marry!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nonsense. Are you shy?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shy? What’s to be shy about?” Xu Yuan didn’t care: “I brought the money home because it belongs to the family—but give me some pocket money.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Wan thought, bit her lip, then pulled out one ten-tael ingot and some loose silver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan was dissatisfied: \"This is too little—it won’t even cover a drink at Chunxiang Pavilion in Wangjing Alley.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His stepmother’s face turned cold, teeth gritted: “What did you say?! You even know the price?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I…” Xu Yuan thought fast: “Zheng Rongkui told me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Wan’s bright eyes flickered—young boys carrying too much silver will surely go astray—they already know about Chunxiang Pavilion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She took back half the silver again!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey hey hey…” Xu Yuan slumped, what could he do—he’d spoken foolishly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regardless of the squabbling, now that Xu Yuan had handed over the money, it was hers to manage—how much she left him didn’t truly matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Xu Yuan saw it as “food money.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Wan counted the gold and silver—altogether over seven hundred taels! She was stunned—this boy… was he a bixiu? One outing, and he brought back so much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She’d never seen so much money in her life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Xu family had a rule: never sell any crafted item made by their own craftsmen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan didn’t know why this rule existed, but it had been so since his grandfather’s time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without this rule, his stepmother’s one crafted item would fetch at least five hundred taels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan tucked the silver into his robe, then grabbed a meat-filled baked bun to eat, when Lin Wan suddenly asked seriously: “Be honest—have you set your eyes on any girl?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What about the third daughter of Old Yu’s family at the west end of Tiaoshi Street? You grew up together—if you’re interested, we should start arranging things soon…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If this money wasn’t for a bride, his stepmother planned to use it to buy him two “Celestial Iron Ingots.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before she could finish, her voice cut off—Xu Yuan’s expression changed too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Night had fallen, but a chilling aura, like wind-blown fog, now enveloped the entire courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Wan moved swiftly, darting to Xu Yuan’s side, shoving something into his hand, then leaping like a cat to the window, her pale palm opening to release several delicate bamboo dragonflies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan looked down—it was an umbrella.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A craftsman’s artifact, exquisitely new—clearly made by his stepmother in the past two days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heavy in his grip, he tested it a few times and understood—it was a fine tool, capable of both offense and defense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The materials were expensive; just this one item, if sold, wouldn’t be worth less than a thousand taels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bamboo dragonflies flew out to scout.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan crouched beside his stepmother, but she glared at him: “Go behind me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can help.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m not dead yet—I can protect you!” His stepmother brooked no argument.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan scowled, but obediently stepped back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lao Qian stood outside the small courtyard, moving like an old man near death—slow, stiff, deliberate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He opened a bone ash urn and poured its contents into the yard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Black-gray ashes spilled out, yet before touching the ground, they dispersed into thick, clinging yin energy, shrouding the entire courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Night was already suited for yin spirits, but now the yin energy had grown so dense it was almost viscous—perfect for Lao Qian’s ghosts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He set down the urn, took down his satchel from his shoulder, and pulled out cloth pouches one by one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each pouch was tightly tied; he untied them, and the hanging corpses burst forth—clad in white robes, their bodies and necks stretched thin, hair wild, long crimson tongues dragging to their chests.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They floated midair, hands dangling at their sides, claws purple-black, half a foot long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lao Qian pointed at the house—five hanging corpses drifted toward it together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They rose first, clearing the courtyard wall, then dove straight for the house—simultaneously letting out a piercing wail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Requesting monthly votes, requesting monthly votes, requesting monthly votes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Twenty-some votes yesterday—can we get more today?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1232,"2026-06-20T12:07:23.516Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","02433d86385df97c31a6cbc5c989bc96ab20672157c72bac7203616de68fe59d","nothing-is-taboo-chapter-46","nothing-is-taboo-chapter-44",413,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fnothing-is-taboo-cover.jpg"]